Last Updated on January 2, 2023 by Mike Robinson

False Memory OCD is a unique theme of OCD. It is a lesser-known variation of the illness. False Memory is not even included as a type of OCD in several literature and publications on the disorder. Most people in the general public have never heard of it, even though OCD-related internet communities discuss it frequently.

It is an overwhelming type of OCD that makes people who are otherwise normal think they have committed terrible acts, if not crimes. As they search for an elusive reality about whether they have done anything wrong, they get stuck in a fog of speculation. Some people only have an episode for a few days before it reappears in a different form later. In comparison, others become fixated on an awful thought for a long time.

False Memory OCD is a dreadful form of OCD that severely weakens sufferers, saps their willpower, and can also cause sadness. The good news is that False Memory OCD may be treated just like any other type of OCD, allowing people to get control of their thoughts.

Before diving into the theme’s intricacies, a general description of OCD is necessary.

What is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a serious but treatable mental illness. It is characterized by repeated, negative, intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions) and rituals. These thoughts cause individuals to exhibit obsessive behaviors or perform actions over and over again (compulsions).

Before, the American Psychiatric Association grouped OCD with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder as an Anxiety Disorder. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), OCD is now a separate disorder with its own chapter, Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.

The French used to call OCD “la folie de doute,” which means “the disease of doubt.” They were correct. People with OCD have obsessions and compulsions, where doubt is the most dominant feeling. What’s the point of a man washing his hands 50 times a day? Because he doesn’t think he has clean hands. Why does a woman check ten times in a row to make sure the stove is off? No matter how often she checks, she doesn’t think the stove is off.

The DSM, which is considered the best diagnostic book in North America, lists the following symptoms of OCD:

• Obsessions, compulsions, or both are present.
• The obsessions or compulsions take up a lot of time (more than an hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or problems in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
• Symptoms aren’t from the effects of a drug or medication on the body or another medical condition.
• The problem can’t be explained better by the signs of another mental illness (Such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

Almost everyone on earth experiences intrusive thoughts. Thoughts that seem strange or unrelated occasionally appear in our heads. Most people can brush these thoughts off as unimportant, but OCD sufferers have a more challenging time doing so. They treat intrusive thoughts seriously, alarmingly, and urgently when OCD is present, causing stress levels to increase. These individuals experience severe distress. To lessen their suffering, the sufferer responds by engaging in a compulsion. Stress, it should be mentioned, exacerbates OCD symptoms. Daily stress and one-time events like losing a loved one, having marital issues, switching schools, or losing one’s job can all make OCD seem more problematic. Stress makes OCD symptoms worse, which is something to keep in mind. Everyday stress and one-time events, like the death of a loved one, marriage problems, moving schools, or being out of work, can make OCD seem worse.

What is False Memory 

False Memory OCD is a type of OCD that differs from other types because the person with it sees intrusive thoughts as memories. Therefore they have trouble telling the difference between an intrusive thought and a memory. Some OCD themes focus on the idea that the person might do something terrible in the future. False Memory OCD, on the other hand, is based on the idea that the person has already done something terrible. False Memory OCD is a type of OCD that no one knows how many people with OCD have it. This OCD has several different levels. It can range from mildly bothersome thoughts to having significant effects on the lives of people who have it.

Types of Obsessions

False Memory Obsessions OCD manifests as unwanted thoughts that are misinterpreted as memories. These intrusive thoughts bring on a good amount of worry, contempt, humiliation, guilt, and terror. The intrusive thoughts always take the shape of the individual thinking that they have done something very wrong, unlawful, and against their moral code. Usually, the person is well aware of the alleged incident’s circumstances. Obsessions come in many forms, but some common ones are:

• The sufferer thinks they have committed adultery.
• They think they have committed sexual assault against another adult or child.
• The individual thinks they have committed murder.

False  Memory OCD  obsessive thoughts can be vague, like “I killed someone in the park last year,” for example, while others may be quite precise, like “I had sex with one of my students in the janitor’s closet after school last Friday.”

The level of detail the patient thinks they are aware of does not influence the accuracy of the intrusive idea. All of them are untrue.

When it comes to this OCD theme, the intrusive thought can first surface right away after some event or the following day. However, those suffering from False Memory OCD can experience these false memories several days, weeks, months, or a year afterward.

There is no connection between when the intrusive thoughts appear and their integrity. No matter when the intrusive notion first arises, they are all untrue.

False Memory Self Perceptions

False memory OCD patients consider their intrusive ideas to be true. Nothing about the thoughts suggests that they are fictitious or made up. They interpret unwanted ideas as memories. Even if someone has had other types of OCD and is well aware of how intrusive thoughts work, they may still see these thoughts about doing something wrong as memories rather than intrusive thoughts. In general, persons with False Memory OCD think they are good people. But they can quickly reach the point where they believe they can carry out the terrible deed that their thoughts suggest they’ve done.

False Memory OCD and Compulsive Behavior

False Memory sufferers employ compulsions to relieve obsession-related suffering.

They include:

1. Constant reminiscing. It occurs by repeating intrusive thoughts in the mind to solve, explain, or disprove them. False Memory OCD sufferers often have this habit. Ruminating can last for weeks, months, or years. The objective of ruminating is to flesh out the so-called recollection, to establish conviction about the ideas, and to address the dilemma of feeling something awful happened with the sufferer’s sense of self (I’m a decent person, how could I do such a nasty thing?)
2. Seek reassurance. Asking relatives and friends questions like: ” Do you think I could do something this bad?”  It can also include continually questioning others whether anything suspicious happened at the time and event supposedly took place.  Some OCD patients ask people whether they’re sure OCD is causing these thoughts.
3. Search for evidence. Sufferers have revisited ‘the scene of the crime’ to check if anything horrible happened and have requested video surveillance to see if the event was captured.
4. Look for verification. Patients often scan media for news that indicates they did something wrong. Someone who feels they killed and dumped a body will examine media news for updates. Checking mobile phones/email constantly to see whether someone has sent a message about the supposed crime/bad incident is another type of checking obsession.
5. Admitting guilt. Some victims consider confessing to the police; however, it seldom happens. Most victims confide in a friend or family member, feeling they must confess. Often, a person confesses to gain confirmation that they are not wicked or that their feelings are valid.

Other important facts.

There are some things that all people with False Memory OCD have in common. They include:

• There is never any actual proof that a terrible thing happened, but the person who went through it will often use the fact that they have a “memory” of it as proof that it did happen.
• Most of the time, the intrusive thought is about a night they drank. Sometimes to excess. Some people think that drinking is related to this theme, even though it is not a requirement. This could be because people who drink a lot are more likely to forget things that happened. This puts them in a position where a simple, distracting thought could be mistaken for a memory.
• People with this OCD theme usually don’t like to talk about the details of their memories, partly out of shame and fear of being found out, arrested, or disowned by friends and family.
• Even when there is good reason to think that something terrible didn’t happen, people going through it still believe it must have. They will often think about it repeatedly, trying to figure out how to make evidence that goes against the intrusive thought fit to confirm their thoughts.

Treatment Options for False Memory OCD

Before considering False Memory OCD therapy, one must consider the issue of convincing sufferers to recognize the illness is not what they think and is curable.

False Memory OCD patients mistake bothersome thoughts for memories. Their instinct tells them they’ve done something bad or unlawful. Without knowing about OCD and False Memory OCD, people won’t realize they have a curable mental condition. Many individuals might start with a relevant OCD history. They know they have OCD, so it’s not a stretch to think this is just another kind.

Sufferers will sometimes go to great lengths to seek proof and reassurance from others, yet they fear jail and desertion if they publicly disclose what they think they’ve done.

The Internet is a fantastic source of False Memory OCD facts and anecdotes. Once a patient learns there is such a thing, they may research it and extend their understanding.

After theme recognition, False Memory OCD is treated like other OCD themes. ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) are first-line treatments.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is described as having unwanted, upsetting, and repeated thoughts and images that cause people to do things they don’t want to. Before, at one time, we thought OCD was a complicated disorder that was hard to diagnose and treat well.

Treatment and diagnosis of this disorder, which used to be hard to figure out, have come a long way in recent years.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention is a method for treating OCD that works. The process is initiated by gradually and methodically exposing the patient to the trigger that makes them feel bad without doing rituals. This tried-and-true CBT technique involves showing the client what makes them feel afraid and then telling them not to do things they can’t stop doing.

Medication Treatment Options

Whether or not to take medication for OCD is a personal decision that the person with the problem and his or her GP or psychiatrist should make together. Here are some important things everyone should know about medicines.

Medication for OCD can have different effects on different people. There is no hard and fast rule about how or if medications will help a person. Because everyone is different, it doesn’t help to ask people what medicines they take or how they react to them. What works for one might not work for someone else.

Antidepressants, especially a group of antidepressants called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), are the most common treatment for OCD.
Here are a few well-known options:

• Fluvoxamine (Prozac)
• Citalopram (Cipramil/Celexa)
• Escitalopram )Cirpalex)
• Fluvaxamine (Luvox/Faverin)
• Paroxetine (Paxil/Seroxat)
• Sertraline (Lustral/Zoloft)

Challenges of Recovery

The path to recovery from False Memory OCD is not a straight line. Along the way, there will be problems. Patients have good days and bad days. Sometimes things are going well, then intrusive thoughts hit hard and cause a setback. This is quite normal and will very likely happen at some point  When problems arise, it’s essential to stop, take a deep breath, review the plan, and start over. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and improvements will gradually happen.

Because people with False Memory OCD think that their obsessions are memories and not intrusive thoughts, they tend to believe that the thoughts are accurate, those bad things happened, and that they are terrible. That is the area that requires a leap of faith.

Initially, people with OCD don’t have to think that their thoughts are just crazy and not real. But they need to have to leap of faith and believe that OCD causes the problem. They then have to do the hard work needed to improve. It’s not easy to make that jump, especially when your mind keeps telling you that the thing you’re afraid of happened. Still, you have to take a leap of faith. It will make it easier for people to go to therapy and continue to recover.

Conclusion

False Memory OCD is a terrible kind of mental illness. Living with is like being stuck in mental quicksand, full of bad ideas, crushing doubt, and stress. Unfortunately, it can last for years. People with OCD can have intrusive thoughts and compulsions nearly all the time until they take steps to get help.

You can get rid of false memory OCD, but it is not easy and is a struggle. But breakthroughs can happen with hard work and a structured program that includes cognitive therapy, stopping compulsions, and ERP. It is a slow process, but people can feel better immediately. They must commit to the process and do the work needed to succeed at getting better.